Ms BURNET (Clark) – Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for bringing this matter of public importance to this parliament. The future of the ferries should be that they are here, back in Tasmania, as soon as possible and remaining in public hands. This is the future that we need for the ferries. We want them to be working from a functioning Devonport berth and we want that gantry in place. We want them to be plying Bass Strait. First, before the Devonport berth is finalised, I would like to see the ferries berthed across the road at PW1 as a constant reminder to this parliament of the monumental waste and the colossal stuff‑up that we have had in relation to this ferries fiasco.
We have been a laughing‑stock because these vessels are being berthed in Leith in Scotland. We have seen that this state has been in the international media for all the wrong reasons. It would be good to put this behind us, however, we cannot let this go. This has been a monumental waste of taxpayers’ money.
I remind the House of the timeline. The original ferry cost in 2017 was $714 million, delivery by 2021. The German shipbuilder unfortunately went bust. Then the Finnish company, Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) was then contracted. The 2020 contracts were cancelled due to COVID‑19. Then there was the going down the rabbit hole looking for an Australian manufacturer. The cost is now $850 million and the delivery should have been, at that stage, 2023‑24. We know that during caretaker government, there was a bailout of $83 million to RMC from TT‑Line. The budget has been blown by half a billion dollars and we still do not have the wharf upgrades.
We are talking about the future. The future of the ferries must be in public hands. It is important that they continue to be in public hands. We need the government, and I also want to hear from the minister about ruling out the sale of this Tasmanian asset. We know that particularly the north-west tourism operators have been really disadvantaged by this delay of so many years and it has cost the taxpayers again more money – about a quarter of a million dollars package was provided and announced in December of last year to help offset the estimated half a billion dollars in revenue foregone for those tourism operators.
It is so important that the government does provide a future for the ferries working the Bass Strait and also in public hands. The Greens will be fighting to maintain this, but first we have to get the ferries home. The ferries, firstly, should be here in Hobart as a constant reminder for the government until such time is ready.
Mrs Pentland – Wasting more money. Wasting more taxpayers’ money.
The SPEAKER – Mrs Pentland, you do not often interject, so I will not make too much of it now, but I will give the Leader of the House the call.
